1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure for connection of harnesses in a vehicle such as an automobile, more specifically, to a structure for connection of harnesses which are used to connect electrically and mutually instruments such as a meter, an air conditioner and so on.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Hitherto, there is known a structure for connecting a compartment harness which is cabled in a passenger compartment in a vehicle such as an automobile and an engine room harness which is cabled in an engine room in the vehicle, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-328493 or Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No.2002-2414.
The publication No. 2001-328493 discloses a structure in which some modules for electrical instruments are installed in a passenger compartment and an engine room in a vehicle and these modules are connected within the passenger compartment by means of harnesses cabled in the passenger compartment and engine room, without using any connector. However, in such a structure, because the harnesses disposed in the engine room must be extended through holes provided in a dash panel (dash board) into the passenger compartment, it is very difficult to insert the harnesses into the holes in the dash panel. Workability of wiring the harnesses is inefficient in the aforementioned structure.
On the other hand, the publication No. 2002-2414 discloses a structure in which an electrical box is disposed in a passenger compartment and is fixed to a dash panel. The electrical box has a first connector connectable with a connector for a harness in an engine room, a second connector connectable with a connector for a harness in the passenger compartment and a circuit for connecting the first and second connectors. However, in such a structure, because the electrical box is fixed to the dash panel within the passenger compartment, a space of the passenger compartment becomes narrow. This is especially true in a recent vehicle which has a configuration in which a cockpit module (which is consisted by sub-assembling an air conditioning unit in an instrument panel) is disposed at the front part of the passenger compartment, namely, adjacent to the dash panel. There is a disadvantage that a space of wiring the harnesses in the passenger compartment is further eliminated due to the presence of the electrical box and, therefore, operation for connecting the harnesses becomes very difficult, in the aforementioned configuration disclosed in publication No. 2002-2414.
The structure in the publication No. 2002-2414 is also complicated since the electrical box has the first connector, the second connector and the circuit for connecting the first and second connectors.
Further, in the conventional structures as described, work of connecting the harnesses must be carried out in a narrow space in a lower side of the instrument panel in the passenger compartment and therefore workability is inefficient.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a structure for connection of harnesses in a vehicle such as an automobile, which is capable of connecting easily a harness in a passenger compartment and a harness in an engine room, within the engine room in which a space of working is relatively easy to obtain.
To accomplish the above object, a structure for connection harnesses in a vehicle according to the present invention comprises a cockpit module including a component which is assembled in an instrument panel, a first connector which is connected with an end of a harness disposed in a passenger compartment and which is attached to the component of the cockpit module, a second connector which is connected with an end of a harness disposed in an engine room and which is connectable with the first connector, and a dash panel which divides the passenger compartment and engine room and which includes a connector through-hole in which the first connector or second connector is inserted.
Here, the first connector is arranged to face the connector through-hole when the cockpit module is attached in a front part of the passenger compartment and the second connector is insertable in the first connector from the side of the engine room.
In one embodiment, the above structure further comprises a connector bracket to which the first connector is attached and which is attached to the component of the cockpit module.
As an example, the connector bracket is integrally formed on a front surface of said component. The first connector is mounted adjustably and movably in forward and reward and upward and downward and rightward and leftward directions on said connector bracket.
The first connector has an insertion-guide part for said second connector. The first and second connectors hold together a peripheral part of the connector through-hole of said dash panel. The second connector is provided with an annular sealing member which is subjected to a compressed force occurred between both the connectors when the second connector is connected wit the first connector. The annular sealing member seals the peripheral part of the connector through-hole and a periphery of a fitting part in both the connectors under action of a force due to holding of the dash panel by the connectors.
The first and second connectors are connected at a central part of the dash panel in width direction of the vehicle.